Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is dead right. At the heart of the issue is addressing service level agreements and making sure they are fit for purpose. In many ways, that will involve the agreements being reviewed and simplified so that they focus on service provision as much as possible. I come across issues in my constituency all the time, which I have raised with the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, regarding challenges for school leavers with intellectual disabilities when they reach the age of 18. I am thankful that KARE is not among them, but we have voluntary organisations around the country that are constantly in deficit. Recommendation 8.8 in the report is to assess if an organisation is adequately funded in the first place and if there are better ways to manage its budget. If an organisation is in a constant cycle of deficits year-on-year, it will never get out of the cycle. Such organisations are then hamstrung and cannot provide the service we need.

Recommendation 8.3 relates to official recognition through a charter of the legally separate status of the voluntary sector reflecting its public service role. Ultimately, it is about due recognition. The report produced by the review group chaired by Ms Catherine Day is excellent. It is a great opportunity for us now to drive on, show the voluntary sector that it is a dual relationship, that we are interdependent on each other and we must work together in order that we can better provide a service for people in the future that is fit for purpose.

See this speech in context